Dan Aykroyd Talks ‘Ghostbusters 3′ [Updated]

Published 4 years ago
by
Sandy Schaefer
, Updated August 9th, 2013 at 11:58 pm,

We’re not sure how seriously anyone should take Dan Aykroyd’s talk about Ghostbusters 3 these days. The sequel has been in development for over twenty years now and Aykroyd’s costar, Bill Murray, has been very clear about his, to put it mildly, lack of enthusiasm for the project.

Vanity Fair caught up with Aykroyd recently and the comical actor/screenwriter revealed that he is currently at work revising the Ghostbusters 3script, which was penned by The Office writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.

That writing duo also contributed to the screenplay for Year One, which was co-written and directed by another former Ghosbuster, Harold Ramis. When last Murray spoke about a third Ghostbusters movie, he admitted that learning about the involvement of the Year One writers in the project essentially destroyed what positive feelings he had about the threequel. He’s not completely unjustified either – Year One was one of the more painfully unfunny comedies in recent memory.

Aykroyd remains adamant in his optimistic outlook towards Ghostbusters 3 and claims that the script that Eisenberg and Stupnitsky wrote features “the comic role of a lifetime” for Billy Murray. He also confirmed the rumors that the film will involve the Ghostbusters of old “… passing the torch to the new regime” – that is, a new generation of ghoul-catching professionals.

‘Ghostbusters 3′ – out with the old, in with the new?

A new squad of Ghostbusters is a dicey proposition at best. The original crew (Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, and Ernie Hudson) had a good deal of comedic chemistry and its members’ onscreen personalities played well off one another. It would be difficult for a younger generation of actors to join the franchise and replicate the success of their predecessors.

There is also the issue of whether or not most moviegoers would be interested in seeing a Ghostbusters movie that does not foremost feature the actors from the first two movies. Comic book movie reboots are one thing – fans love characters like Peter Parker or Bruce Wayne and want to see them done justice on the big screen. Rebooting a series that was popular in no small part because of the original cast and writing talent involved sounds like a less-than-stellar idea.

We will keep you posted on the development of Ghostbusters 3 as more news comes our way (or as Dan Aykroyd talks more about it).

Update: Film Drunk is reporting that Aykroyd is NOT doing a rewrite of the Ghostbusters 3 script and that the latest draft of the screenplay has been sent out to Bill Murray – if he approves, then pre-production will start next year, with a late 2012 release date in mind.

Your comment tickled me just right, Anthony. I don’t think I’d see it if they had actors like that fat idiot. That’s the trouble with “passing the torch” to new actors, they’ll never find the right ones. They should just end it with this one… if they ever do it.

You know they will pass it on to the Apatow crew. They are the hottest thing in comedy right now. Happy/Madison is getting too old to give it too them. I do think Paul Rudd would be a good fit for this movie. Not a hudge fan of Seth Rogan, but again I think he could do this one. The other too would be hard to find.

What we’ll PROBABLY get is the artful dramatis personae of Justin Bieber, in between seasons of “Punk’d”, which I hear Kutcher will produce but not host, choosing instead (when referring to the job of host) to Leave It To Bieber!

As much I Ioved the original and sorta liked the sequel, I WILL NOT watch a new GB featuring either Jonah Hill’s unfunny fat ass OR the dismal Seth Rogen! Do something fresh and remarkable for the send off, otherwise just leave it alone…

THANK YOU PUMPKIN BREW!!!! BRAVO! Surely the talent force behind GB3 already know what most of us do….what utter hacks those 2 fore mentioned amatuer borish unfunny lame slobs they are and have no business even being mentioned in the same breath as GB3!

I really want this to be made, but with the original cast. If they have to have young ghostbusters too, have them as rivals who get in way over their heads, then the old gang can show the whippersnappers how its done!
This is one of those films that you think will never get made, like the years we spent waiting for another Indiana Jones, but then all of a sudden it will be in production.

Ackroyd can still be funny, well, he was funny in Evolution. And that was admittedly a while ago.

I can completely understand Murray wanting the script to be perfect, thats the kind of actor he is, he had standards. So he might ultimately be the one who gets us the film we want to see.

You know, there’s been so much talk of “handing it off to the younger bunch” or “the young new GBs doing this or that”. What would be cool is this: Aykroyd realizes that the “young guys” story is a first pass idea at best and THEN really starts working on a story that sends this franchise off with a bang! Why does Murray have to be the ghost? Because he cracked about “killing my character off in the first reel”? What it fiction mirrored real life? What if the other GBs “died” (like their careers in real life in many ways) and the only GB left to do the job was the reluctant Murray? He’s done with bustin’, but has to step up when the others perish and their ghosts (or at least one of them – probably Dan’s) haunts him until he takes a stand! It’s not about the money for Peter V, it’s about realizing he’s the one who can make a difference (save the world, NYC or whatever and get Dan’s annoying ass ghost off his case)… Now we have Bill playing the reluctant hero when all he wants to do is find better “opportunities”…

Just please, for the love of God and Slimer’s sake, don’t introduce new, fresh faces just to attract younger audiences! Take a stand, Dan, and deliver Bill Murray a script that he can’t pass up. (If you’d like me to have a shot at the script, just let me know – I can guarantee new GBs won’t be in my draft… What will be there is plenty of heart, laughs and some kick-ass action that audiences won’t soon forget…. sorta the way they forgot Indy’s most recent so-called adventure!)

I love the idea of doing this movie. They keep waiting on Bill Murray but the thing is, Bill is famous for keeping people on the ropes of weather or not he will show. In the end he always does and those are some of his best performances. Bill is a weird guy. I guess that is what makes him so funny.

As far as them passing the torch. Dude, do it. I loved the Ghostbusters and it is way past time for them to send it on to people who want to do the movie.

I have to disagree that what made GB great was solely the actors. Had the GB movies been done by another set of comedic actors it still would have been great so long as the actors were good; in other words GB isn’t a Murray-Akroyd-Ramis only success although that combination was a great fit for the story.

GB could be done and done well with the same formula as the originals; good actors that work well together and a very enjoyable story.

I too like the idea of Murray being killed of and coming back as a ghost; in fact i’d like to see that for all 4 of the original characters. It could be a case where the originals finally met there match and now the world is in trouble with no GB’s to deal with it and so a new group has to step up and do it. It would be hilarious to see this happen where most if not all 4 of the new group were also disbelievers in ghosts and spirits initially.